Chance McCloud
Chance McCloud, also known as Ultaec'Noxrae and The Blind Shadow, is a character created in the year 2011 and regularly progressed since that date under the playership of the user known as Cysan. Responsibility for the character's wiki page and all edits made to it falls primarily to Cysan, Abby Stewart - Cysan's wife, and the user Raltin Avarr - a trusted friend knowledgeable in events of Chance's life. Chance has acquired most, if not all, of his character advantages and equipment in legitimate in-character fashion, though a select few items are respectfully limited to only private roleplaying scenarios. Chance can be described as a "liquid character" since his creation - meaning, the actions of others can potentially influence Chance and his future outcomes. Chance's Demonic Realm Fairness Assurance Chance is connected to a plane that is referred to as his "demonic realm." For the sake of fairness, outside characters are not taken into the realm unless Chance has no intention of killing them or the involved players have been properly warned beforehand. While "opting out" of being drawn into the realm is not always a possibility, involved players are guaranteed numerous chances to escape before they are brought into the realm. The Realm's Function Chance's demonic realm follows the lore of any other demon's personal realm in that, in his realm, Chance has complete control of the realm and everything within it and, in the realm, Chance is the "god," so to speak; killing him is an impossibility. This being said, he does also follow the "code," where those who enter are given a fair chance at survival/escape. They must, like most other personal realms, solve a puzzle crafted by the demon who controls the realm. The puzzle can be anything. Really. Succeeding in solving the puzzle ensures the character who took part in it survives and is free to go, and in some cases makes off with a bit of spoils/power or perhaps the demon's favor. Having a demon's favor has its perks. All those who enter the realm to partake in the puzzle do so at their own risk. The unofficial "Permission to Kill" rule popular among roleplayers, is forfeited when one enters. Players must rely on their characters' and their own wits to survive. It is worth noting that being on a demon's good side before entering its realm is often very beneficial and might just save your life. Each demon has its own personality of sorts, and their likes and dislikes differ. Chance likes those who are witty. This, of course, is a vague quote and could mean anything. Having a witty character meet Chance could be a really good idea or a really bad one. It's a risk to take. The Beginning of a Never-ending Story Chance's life began in a quiet estate in the region of Kandarin (but not really near Ardougne or otherwise), with the rest of his family and extended family. His family was of noble blood and wealthy, like all other families in Kandarin, but he enjoyed a quiet, casual life his family adored. He often spent his time play-fighting with his brothers and cousins, sitting on his father's lap, and when he grew slightly older, caring for his younger sister. Growing up, he always wanted to be a strong and noble warrior like his father. This, is the forgotten life of Chance. The life you'd never expect from a murderous, life-stealing demon. What is now known of Chance is little. Littler still is known of his past. I'm about to tell you who, and what, Chance was, what happened through his life, how he ended up as he is today, and what his plans are for Gielinor... and for the Multi-planar existence. Yes, Chance's life was quiet. He was happy and content with this life. But such things never last. It was not long after his 7th or 8th birthday that a man known only as "The King of Shadows", a mysterious figure of an even more mysterious order, the "Society of Shadows", approached his father and offered a business proposition to him. In return for two of his sons, Chance and another whose name is lost to all but the mind of Chance, he'd give the noble family a great deal more of wealth and power, and promised that his sons would become the greatest warriors to roam the land. Chance's father, seeing through the man's honeyed words to the darkness which lied within, and having a good sense of morality and honor, declined the figure's offer. This self-proclaimed King of Shadows, outraged, left with an oath that he would come back and kill the entire family. An oath that was not paid any heed... until it was too late. The next few days carried on as usual, until one stormy day the King of Shadows returned, with some of his finest warriors, black robed, hooded figures known only as "Priests of Shadow." These figures struck unnatural fear and terror into the normally stalwart and courageous family, quickly and mercilessly cutting down family member after family member. Chance and his father, both being inside at the time, ran to the basement to take shelter. Knowing that his time had come, Chance's father, Gabriel McCloud, handed him the sacred heirloom greatsword, a sword only known as Nova, the Skeleton Key. Then, stuffing Chance's pockets with as much coin as he could, and placing a backpack left in the basement storage upon Chance's shoulders, he thrust Chance into the secret passage in the basement. Chance escaped through the tunnels, and watched from the distance as the slaughter concluded, ending with his own father being beheaded by the King of Shadows, and his home, with some of his family still inside, being put to the torch. that was the last he saw of any of his family, though he does not know if any others survived, namely his beloved little sister. With nowhere to go but forward, Chance trodded on, wandering dangerous roads by himself, dragging his family's heirloom greatsword along as he was unable to carry it, spending coin on food where he could. It was when he laid down his last three silver coins, unknowing of what it represented, upon the blue moon inn's counter, that his luck changed. The young boy, who had already attracted a few eyes from the oversized greatsword, raggedy clothing, but noble appearance, attracted the attention of a very tall white-clad patron with a funny hat and cloak. the figure said nothing, but followed the boy as he made his way to the rooms. The boy entered the rooms only to be greeted by the white-clad, oversized figure, who was now equipt with a double-bladed staff. With a tenor voice soothing and commanding, the white clad figure convinced Chance to tell him his story. Chance for the first time since his escape from the massacre cried as he unloaded all of it onto the white clad figure, who held a sad, knowing smile the entire time. It was only when the boy finished speaking that the white-clad figure introduced himself as "Cysan", who was an old family friend and had given the heirloom sword to Chance's anscestors oh so long ago. The young Chance, confused, bewildered, and shocked, couldn't so much as speak. So Cysan instead took the boy back to the Lumator manor, a giant manor of white marble, centuries old but well kept, and existing primarily in a pocket plane. for the first time in days, the boy had a full belly, and a good night's rest. He awoke to the smiling face of Seana, a woman he came to fear and love as the foster mom she was. Chance grew to know the family rather quickly, becoming a part of the family the moment Cysan had taken the young boy home. There were Cysan, and Seana, his foster mom and dad, and his two foster siblings, Michael and Rachel. Rachel reminded him somewhat of his younger sister, and lead to times where chance would cry or avoid Rachel, but inevitably led to him caring for her like she was his younger sister. The moment the family was sure they could tell him without risking themselves, Cysan broke the news that the Lumators were, actually, a family of Icyenes. at the time, such a thing was entirely unheard of, Icyenes were but legends by then, and for a whole family to survive all these years, and relatively undetected, was astonishing. Chance may or may not have fainted. Once he had wrapped his head around it all, Chance went back to normal with his foster family, playing games, eating together as a family, occasional lessons from Cysan or Seana. He had come to the conclusion that Icyenes were, in fact, just "big winged ageless otherwise normal human beings," though he was still convinced on an occasion that his foster mom was some form of 'Witch' because when she asked him to do a chore, even if he didn't want to do it and was about to argue, he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to do the chore. It was only later that he realized that Seana was, in fact, a Lunar Mage of sorts, having spent years with the Moonclan. This explained her unusually calm, sweet behavior, and her ability to grow a beautiful garden, make wounds "magically disappear" with a song and a bandage, and convince him to do just about any chore she asked of him. Growing up around Icyenes was beneficial as it was different. His new family's lifestyles were vastly different than what he was used to, though they were not as different as one would think. They still celebrated Wintumber, they ate as a family, and they played games together. However, there were no servants doing everything for them, they did not go out in public often, if ever, magic was fairly common in the family, and Capes, hoods, and weaponry were almost always a requirement for outside travel. The family clearly had ways of staying un-noticed. The cloaks they had were enchanted to fit the whole wingspan once the family member reached adulthood. When he had grown in age and size, Cysan took the young Chance to fufill his destiny. A Dreamstate Reality Cysan had given him numerous warnings prior, and had told him it was ultimately his choice. But when the time came for Chance to become a member of the reclusive order known only as the "Alliance", he had already chosen his choice. He took part in the initial training of the Alliance, and passed with unusual results. His mind had a unique resistance to mental and magical fear, and while his IQ was relatively average, he possessed an extraordinary cunning in combat, using his environment and everything around him to his advantage. His mind also held a unique mutability in his mind that was common with most young folk, though his was looked upon with interest. It was not soon after that he was enlisted into the Warrior Project, despite Cysan's hesitation. As he lie on the bed awaiting the moment where he would be put into the Dreamstate, Seana visited him. She gave him a warning; "Keep a level head during the tests. They will try to break you, over and over again. Don't let them. Always remember who you are, and where you come from. I can't assure you that you will make it out of this project alive, but I hold hope in my heart. There are not many as deserving as you of being a success." Before he could reply, however, the dreamstate was initiated. His body was thrust into a stasis-like comatose, and his mind was thrust into a series of events. At first, he proceeded with little success. These 'tests' were in fact actual wars, bloody and challenging, and each with increasing difficulty. Anytime he was stabbed, or had a limb chopped off, or got hit with a hammer, it was like he actually felt it. The first dreamstate test he had thought he was actually in a war, in physical form. He was soon killed and the mental scene reversed to the beginning of the war soon after. It took some time, but Chance eventually caught on. He was in the most challenging events one could possibly think up. He would feel pain, he would see blood. In fact, the only thing that wasn't so "Real" about the Dreamstate was the fact that if he did in fact die in the dream he would start over from the beginning of that test. He soon lost track of time. The Dreamstate had that effect, he had been warned. As he went through the tests, his proficiency with various situations grew greater and greater. It was not long after in the dreamstate that he was charging ahead on the front lines and slashing through the enemies front line ranks, or taking on several demons and a dragon at once. His regard for his own safety became less and less apparent, but his prowess in combat only grew substantially. That was, of course, after many many deaths within the dreamstate. Each test was much harder than the last, he spent years navigating the various ways to get through each test. In one such test, he was trapped in the realm of a Demonic Prince, hung high above a spikey outcrop with a hole in the center that looked quite much like a bottomless pit. His only weapons were a pair of daggers. He had nothing else. It took many, many tries, but he had found a way to escape his hanging position above the spikey pit and in fact stand on the two spikes he had been hung from prior. Not long after, he figured out that the only way out was down, into the hole, where he would have to drive his daggers into the wall of the bottomless pit and use these to climb out and make his way to a very ominous looking door. This single instance took him substantially longer than most other instances within the dreamstate, and each one after this instance took longer still. Each new challenge brought more and more tests upon the young boy's mutable mind, and his mind had, in approximately 7 years of aging (slowed in stasis, could be assumed as approximately 60-70 years.), absorbed enough information to rival that of warriors who had spent their entire lives fighting. This was not without consequence, however. Upon exiting the dreamstate, he had grown careless with his own life, and slightly arrogant in nature. Though the final preparations of the Warrior Project had not been completed, he snuck out under the cover of night, and began to seek challenges from the finest Gielinor had to offer. It was not long before he was out-matched, and soon witnessed a series of defeats that astonished him. Oh yes, his mind had been trained quite perfectly. But his body, had yet to adapt. He went back to those in the Alliance and asked to complete his training. In reply to his foolish actions, they promised to bring his body instincts up to date with his mind, but that they would not extend his strength or speed. He would have to rely on his humanity to win him his battles. Disappointed, and ashamed, Chance roamed the land, vowing to redeem himself as he fought various groups of people, and preformed tasks and jobs for the Alliance. The Academy of Heroes Many would barely remember the first days of the Academy of Heroes, those glorious moments when the Icyene Eshebi Kash and others ran that desert training facility. It was around the time when Eshebi Kash was the Grandmaster, and Aryl (Thorn) was one of the few teachers that Chance began to learn from this enigmatic figure known as Aryl, a warrior that he would later regard as a friend, mentor, and ally. Aryl taught him for but a few days, and Chance absorbed the knowledge like a sponge. He took his free-time from practice to sneak out of the Academy and seek more combat, and adventures, or go through the different areas of the Academy. It was not long before he left this sanctuary, however. He had grown tired, and yearned for more adventures. An Alliance Scout-Ambassador in full Months later, he was contacted by the Alliance and asked to serve as a Scout and Ambassador full-time now. Gladly stepping forth from the Academy, he began to serve as the primary Scout-Ambassador of the Order, rising to the rank of Captain. His prowess for contacting (and sometimes spying) other groups or people soon earned him gifted access to the Alliance Vaults, though if he ever used such access is to date unknown. He was sent from place to place, contacting simple liasons in nondescript locations to preforming much more challenging contacts such as one particular vyrelady in Morytania. He is to date (Jan. 1st 2014 most current) one of the two Alliance members who have ever entered Morytania to speak with a contact. These journeys were long and arduous, and Chance often resorted to sleeping in a bedroll or a tree for lack of an actual bed. There is very little listed upon these series of events, major events simply were not recorded or there were no major events worth noting. The Special In Alliance terms, a "Special" refers to a being of unknown raciality, with some form of "gift" or "Power" that has attracted the attention of the order. Specials are often either categorized into "Potentials" or "Potential threats" outright, and potentials are often then recruited into the order shortly thereafter. During a chase with a fellowship listed by the Alliance as "Class 2 Threats", was approximately when he first beheld the young woman and her actions. Of course, it turned out that these "Class 2 Threats" had been in truth a hunting party. As the hunting party held their backs turned and prepared to fire upon the homestead the woman was in, Chance snuck in closer before he picked off two of the five. When the other three turned to engage, a battle commenced between Chance and the three mysterious figures. In the midst of this, the young woman snuck off, and Chance only realized this after the final figure had been defeated. pursuing the woman for reasons not documented, he followed her for three days and three nights, each night being a literal game of hide and seek and each day being a chase across the land masses. It was upon the third day that he finally caught up to her, and with her nowhere to go. She had attempted to take a charter boat to another port city, only to have her pursuer catch up to her as the boat was about to leave. Trapped on the boat and with nowhere to go, she was forced to relent. Chance took this time upon the boat to speak in depth with her, using his sharp wit and clever tongue to in time pry the information from the girl's lips. With this in mind, as well as the knowledge of her name, he took her in and brought her back to a safe house, so she might take respite from the chase without fear of her pursuers catching her. He watched and waited every evening at the edge of her room, not sleeping for three days as he stood guard. By the fourth evening, his body could take no more without rest, and though reluctant, he took the evening and slept, assuming she would run off that evening. In the morning, however, he awoke to the smell of breakfast. Curious, he went to investigate the scene of the kitchen, finding her scrambled chicken eggs on a pan over a heated range. A slight infatuation with the girl had crept into him over those three days, and for a moment he gazed over her with an almost stupid grin upon his face, watching her until she noticed his arrival, at which point he promptly looked away and began whistling in a not-so inconspicuous manner. With a raise of an eyebrow, she asked him how he slept, and they began to converse over breakfast. It was some time later after breakfast that Chance's commpiece began to buzz, and he soon realized that he had not kept command informed of his actions for the past week. After he explained the situation and its current status, they demanded he come and meet with a superior. Unwilling to leave the girl alone, but also unwilling to disobey a direct order, Chance went to meet with the Elder Councilman, though he brought the girl with him. This of course would have proved to be an act of direct defiance of orders, if it weren't for the Elder Councilman's understanding of the situation. The situation was looked over and recorded in Alliance databanks as a "situation too risky to leave the special alone." and Chance received no punishment for his actions. It was over the next several months that Chance began to shirk other duties in place of "Watching and protecting the special", which by the end of the second month people began to suspect a more personal set of motives for this. He was assigned around this time a full-time job of ensuring this girl remained unharmed and secretly be evaluated for Alliance Material. The Evaluation came back in two weeks, and it reeked of personal favoritism and biased viewpoints for the girl. To this date, this evaluation is kept in a special place in the Vaults, inaccessible even to those with Vault-Access. It has been discussed once or twice with laughter to follow. Finally, Chance went and spoke with Dunsarius, one of the current Elder Councilmen at the time of this event. Over a cup of tea, Chance told Dunsarius that he might have made a mistake. There Chance informed Dunsarius that the girl MAY have been provided an Alliance commpiece to use to contact Chance if need be. Furious, but reasonable, Dunsarius warned Chance of the dangers of doing such a thing. Now they had no choice but to recruit her, and recruited she was. The Choice and the Infernal Ritual It was around this time that Chance was taking his off-duty time drinking in the Jolly Boar Inn outside the city. It was there Chance first met Ronyo Agar, who would prove to be both an asset and a liability. In a moment's notice, Ronyo Agar kidnapped Chance after bonking him upside the head with his staff, and brought him back to his estate. It was there Ronyo gave Chance a choice. Become a demon, or die. There was no black and white to this; Chance played all the angles he could but Ronyo was most adamant on the choice. Chance grudgingly accepted Ronyo's "Offer", unwilling to leave the special alone and forfeit his life. The ritual proved to put the special in even more danger, for the demon newly placed within Chance would surely seek to kill her, and all those close to Chance, if given the opportunity. Heartbroken and fearing for her safety, Chance kept his distance. He could not risk her life, or count on her to take care of herself. But even as he stayed away, the urge grew ever stronger, the demon roamed ever father, just to hunt her down. Finally, unable to protect her, he made his choice. She must go to a place where the demon could not reach her. Back to the Academy, because the first time wasn't enough With Chance unable to be near her, he sent the special to the Academy of Heroes, the one place he felt she would be truly safe. He left her there with the commpiece, and an enchanted mirror. That way, he knew they would always be in touch. Every so often, he would contact her through the commpiece, to say hello, to see how she was. They both could see eachother and their daily activities through the mirror. In this way, he knew she would be okay. Oftentimes, she spent days gazing into the mirror. But as she gazed, so too was his thoughts on her. And because of this, the demon tried ever-harder to reach this place. And Chance knew that one day he would not be able to keep it from entering the Academy of Heroes, and seeking to kill her. He knew that on that day either the special or he would die. So, he approached the Alliance's Experimental Sector Overseer, and asked him to "do the honors". A Mind Warped, A Purpose Altered, A Body Reborn Blood Magic, what many consider to be the most versatile element of the Ancient Spellbook. To be used to cripple your foes, or to enhance one's body. To drain the life from your foes, or to use your or their own lifeblood to heal their wounds. To kill, or to heal. To create or to destroy. The Alliance knew this quite well; they used Blood Magic to its maximum potential. They used it... To create life. But life is not to be created by mortal hands. Gods themselves feared the consequences, the Elder Gods thought sentient life was an abomination. The Alliance played with fire, and to this end Chance will be the Alliance's destruction. The Alliance's Warrior Project Scientists, along with two of the Elder Councilmen, gathered around Chance as he lie on a table, restrained for his own safety, and their's. They covered with him information he cared little for. They told him that there would be no going back from this, and that this very well might be his end. They told him that the process would take several months of intense labor. They had warned him of the consequences and he dismissed them. "Do it." he said. And so as swiftly and surely as they could they lopped off his head, killing the body. Releasing his spirit, and releasing the Demon. Using what they had been given, they used the Blood and Body Magic that the Warrior Project revolved around, along with a "record" of his mind, his soul, and his blood, to create a new body. A new life. But the records were corrupted; the Demon's last move before checkmate. His mind was changed and his soul corrupted. In months he was reborn; the mages exhausted and with a feeling of accomplishment. This was Alliance technology, this was Alliance Magic. These were their "immortal" warriors. Tests were run time and again upon his body, ensuring that everything checked out. That he was indeed alive. It was concluded that there was an insignificant amount of mental change to his mind; he held more ambition and drive than he had before. It was dismissed and he after a period of time was allowed to resume his duties. As soon as they allowed him to leave, he began to seek out any and all Demonology he could. Most of the Alliance deemed it was due to recent events. But to Chance, it was the pursuit of a higher existence. The Demon had made it so Chance would seek out Ronyo in due time. But Ronyo had disappeared. So Chance sought out and exhausted all other sources of Demonology. Then, many months later, he vanished and did not return for many months. Many assumed the worst. But a dark feeling had set over the leaders of the Alliance, and some believed that worse things had befallen Chance. And they were right. Nameless Something stirred that day, in the deepest regions of the void, in the darkest places on Gielinor, in the forgotten ruins around the world. Something had awoken; something dark and unknown, forgotten by even the oldest and wisest. Something only the Infernals of the Demonic Race know, the eldest and most powerful demons. And a sense of dread fell upon a few of the Guardians of Gielinor, an uneasy feeling that something was watching with interest the events occurring in Gielinor. Waiting for when the world was weakened by the wars that were happening, and would happen. Chance had gone to places forgotten, deep within a cavernous expanse, where no light had crossed for thousands of centuries, in a land now dead. It was there he learned of the Infernal Lord only known as "Nameless", a Demonic Lord lost to all texts. Many considered it to be the source of Death itself, the reason why many planets die. It was here that Chance learned of Nameless and his "domain", or area of interest; Death, the void, and things forgotten, forbidden. He learned of means to contact Nameless, to speak with him. Truly, Chance thought, if there was any demon that could give him what he sought, it was Nameless. The required things to summon Nameless were few and far between; hard to come by and dangerous to seek out. But Chance was not easily deterred; he sought out these things and obtained them. The Summoning Ritual was hard and draining in itself, long and arduous. Nameless, though, was summoned. Not in full; No mortal man could Fully Summon Nameless, and only a stark few, Chance included, had created partial summoning. Summoning enough to contact him, that is. Nameless greeted Chance with great interest; few had ever managed to contact what many consider to be the most Ancient of Infernal Lords. They spoke, and each saw opportunity. Chance saw opportunity to not only become a Demon, but to become the greatest Demon of all. Nameless saw Chance as a tool that would allow him to accomplish the one thing he wanted. And so to Chance's surprise Nameless agreed without so much as a minor demand. No contract was placed, no oathful bindings were made. In the days to come Nameless then aided Chance in becoming a Demon. Artificial Demon, if you are technical. Category:Characters Category:Demons Category:Male Category:Warrior